Baby
Talk
Development of Intelligence in Children:
The First Three Yearsby
Linda M. Levine, M.Ed.Reprinted
in Future Reflections from The Circuit, a publication
of the South Dakota Parent Connection.

From
the Editor: One way to test the value of information from professional
literature about blind children is to compare it to the information
in literature about basic child development. If it is consistent, then
it can probably be trusted. If it is inconsistent or even contradictory,
then it should be questioned. This isn't the only measure parents can
use to judge what they read about blindness and the needs of blind children,
but it's a good one.

For
this reason I believe general child development articles, such as the
following, do have a place (once in a while) within the pages of Future
Reflections. Once I got past the title (in my experience, discussions
of intelligence tend to stir up more controversy than they enlighten),
I was impressed with the sound observations and good sense recommendations.
A few of the suggestions are dependent upon vision, but most are not.
Furthermore, the author doesn't make a big deal about the process. There
is no hype about how difficult it is for children to learn, or parents
to teach. What a refreshing change from what one reads in so much of
the professional literature on blindness and children!

In
any event, for its own intrinsic value, and for the value it may have
as a litmus test for blindness literature on this topic, here is "Baby
TalkDevelopment of Intelligence in Children: The First Three Years:"

"When do
I teach my child about numbers and colors?" "Will my child learn anything
by just playing?" "My child has Down's Syndrome. Can I help her learn?"

Parents
are anxious for their children's intelligence to develop quickly and
well. The good news is that parents have the unique opportunity to raise
the intelligence level of their children during the first few years
of lifeand have a wonderful time doing it. But it can be
hard to know what kind of stimulation and how much stimulation to give.

Experts
disagree as to just what intelligence is, but they guess that between
50 percent and 80 percent is inherited. That means that your efforts,
plus your baby's own interest in what is happening, will have a lot
to do with your child's intelligence. Motivation plays a key role in
the way a baby learns.

The first
two years of life are important ones for the baby's growing brain. When
babies are exposed to sights, sounds, textures to feel, smells, and
tastes, more connections are made inside the brain.

Children
need both the active involvement of parents and the opportunity to try
to explore on their own. Stimulate your baby but don't overdo it; it's
easy to be so eager that you do all the playing and the baby does all
the watching! Children who are pushed too fast often have problems with
certain types of thinking skills. Excessive spankings or other harsh
punishment can also harm a child's intellectual, physical, and social
development.

Children
learn by playing
Playing is natural, enjoyableand may be the most important
way children learn to adapt to the new world. For adults, learning something
new means work. But for the child, learning is usually exciting and
fun. Toddlers love to help wash the car, sweep the floor, or pull the
weeds. This "help" can be fun or infuriating for the adults, but the
toddler is learning about how things work in the world.

Playing
with real objects and imitating adults is an effective way for young
children to learn.

Children
need lots of time to play with real objects before they understand the
meaning of letters and numbers. Don't think of teaching your child so
much as guiding your child toward discoveries about how things work,
where things fit, and why things act the way they do.

Just
what is intelligence?
Think of intelligence as a kind of road. Each child inherits a certain
potential for developing intelligence. The stimulation a child receives
during the early yearsprovided by adults and through the
child's own interestshelps develop the potential and helps
determine where the child's intelligence winds up along the road.

A child
might be at the "developmentally delayed" point in the road, at the
point called "above average," or someplace in between. Children whose
intelligence develops more slowly are just at different points on the
road than are children whose intelligence develops more quickly.

Children
with mild, moderate, or severe intellectual delays need stimulation
to go further along the road. Children with severely delayed intellectual
development may need the same kind of sensory experiences that infants
and toddlers thrive on. Sensory experiences are where intellectual development
begins.

Children
explore and understand the environment through their senses. Young children
learn best from experiences that involve more than one sense, so provide
many objects that can be tasted, seen, smelled, heard, felt, and played
with.

Gentle
touches, patting, tickling, and rhythmic movements are naturally stimulating
for baby and for children whose intelligence is developing at a much
slower rate. Stroking with a soft baby brush, cotton ball, or piece
of velvet, or gently massaging arms, body, and legs are good ways to
put children in touch with their own bodies. You can also stimulate
your baby's senses by giving interesting things to look at or listen
to.

Babies
need to look at slowly moving objects, a variety of patterns, and bright
colors. They need to hear adults talk to them and sing to them from
the moment they are born! They need to hear sounds of things like clocks,
rattles, music boxes, and cars. Long before they can talk, small children
understand what is being said to them.

The miracle
of language development is intertwined with the development of intelligence.

What
about memory?
Memory gets stronger as babies become toddlers. Being able to remember
what took place in the past allows children to gather information, to
compare it with old information, and to make new connections. The toddler
who says "Nana" as the car gets to Grandmother's house is showing good
long-term memory. It's a big step when children use memory to relate
what is happening to what has happened in the past.

Parents
often think of early intelligence as knowing the names of things. This
skillconcept formationresults after children
have had many experiences and can link those experiences to a name.
At first, all four-legged animals might be called "doggies." As children
get older and focus on concept formation, the animals become cats, dogs,
cows, and horses. It takes time for the thinking processes to mature,
but how exciting it is to watch it happen, a bit more each day!

What
can I do to help my child build intelligence?

 Create an atmosphere for learning and be sure your child is interested.
Let the child lead the activity; stop when the child is bored, tired,
or frustrated.


Repeat those activities that your child wants to do again. They may
be boring for you but enjoyable for the child.


Encourage your child. Assure your child that making mistakes is a normal
part of learning.


Encourage active play. Running, jumping, and other active play is better
than sitting in front of the TV or watching adults play.


Keep a variety of toys and books on low shelves where your child can
reach them. Introduce new toys one at a time. Too many toys can overstimulate
a child.


Help your child use the senseshearing, seeing, touching, tasting,
and smellingto explore objects. Focus on one sense at a
time.


Talk a lot as your child explores. Talk about what is happening and
what you are doing.


Provide toys that allow baby to see cause and effect. Pushing a button
to make a cat appear is not as stimulating as hitting a pan with a spoon
and seeing it move, or hearing the noise.


Provide activities at the child's developmental level. Allow the child
to choose which toys to play with.


Work as a team with your child's teacher or therapists. Share ideas
and solutions. Together, you can help your child live up to full potential,
at school, at home, and in life.